It's always nice when I can include both a girls team and a boys team in the same discussion. And this discussion is about Chatard, whose basketball teams could both be on their way to garnering some headlines as tournament season heats up.

Let's start with the Trojans' boys squad, who last night got a huge win over longtime Catholic rival, No. 5 Cathedral, by a score of 61-55. Chatard now stands at 12-2 on the season, and has bounced back quite nicely after two straight disappointing losses on Jan. 17 and 23 to Washington and Broad Ripple, respectively.

Last night's win over the Irish is by far the biggest win of the season for the boys team, but they also have a nice win over Guerin Catholic (13-3) on their resume, 74-52 on Jan. 4. Coach Chris Quinn's group has been led all season by the Kennedy trio of seniors Jimmy and Billy, and junior Pat (featured in our very first issue on p. 34). Also part of a strong senior class are Daryn Hightower and Michael Zimmerman.

The Trojans aren't going to scare you with size, but frankly, that's not the game they play. With Pat Kennedy running the point, Chatard runs a motion offense that distributes the ball and finds holes. Keep an eye on this group through the rest of the regular season, as they travel to Roncalli on Friday and have tough games left against Anderson (Saturday) and Northwest (2/21).

As for the No. 20 Lady Trojans, coach Kevin Sweeney's group now sits at 16-4 with their final regular season game scheduled for tomorrow night against Broad Ripple. After losing three straight in a tough stretch against Southwestern (Hanover) (17-5), Lafayette Jeff (12-9) and Carmel (16-4), the girls have won five straight and definitely head into sectionals on the upswing.

One of those wins came against Brebeuf on Jan. 25, and Chatard has drawn the Braves for the sectional opener. Guard Anna Boese, who is headed to IPFW, has been on a tear...including a season-high 40 points against Park Tudor last time out.

If the Lady Trojans can get past Brebeuf once again in the tournament, there's really not much standing in their way for the sectional title. The opening game of the regional would then put Chatard up against the winner of the Mt. Vernon sectional, where Hamilton Heights could be looming.

It will be interesting to see how the girls learn from their losses, as most of the top teams they have played, they have fallen just short. In addition to the three straight losses mentioned above, this group's other loss came at the hands of No. 3 Heritage Christian. Will they learn from those losses and be able to get over the hump?

A FEW OTHER NOTES:

  • I know so many of you are anxiously awaiting the debut blog of our new intern, Bob. We thought that was going to be today, but we're still working out the minor kinks in getting his account set up. Once he's up and running, I'm sure he'll have no problem making fun of my movie-watching history like many of you. I can take it from Brian, but not the intern. In fact, I'm a little parched...coffee, anyone?
  • We got word on a successful delivery of our new February issue, which will be available at Marsh and Blockbuster starting this Friday. We'll be sending out the digital issue to our online subscribers tomorrow, so if you haven't signed up for this free and wonderful service (if I do say so myself), you can do so by clicking here.
  • I'll be headed up to the Northside on Friday, ready to take in the boys hoops battle between No. 2 Carmel and No. 6 Lawrence North for the MIC championship. I'll also have some copies of the new mag, so be sure to scoop one up. And if you feel the need to introduce yourself, go right ahead. I'll be the guy that looks like a student but really isn't a student.